Volkswacht Bodensee - News from Lake Constance, St. Gallen, Thurgau, Schaffhausen, Switzerland, Europe and the whole world

Mediators Qatar and Egypt were pushing to resolve a crisis in the Gaza ceasefire Wednesday, a Palestinian source told AFP, after Israel and the United States told Hamas to release hostages this weekend or face a return to war.

In a few days, France will hand over its only military base in Ivory Coast, its former star colony in west Africa, and both sides say the run up is proceeding seamlessly without any rancour.

Algerian gold winning boxer Imane Khelif has denounced "false and offensive" allegations after the International Boxing Association (IBA) said it will sue the International Olympic Committee over her and another female athlete's inclusion at the games' women's boxing last year.

There will be a new name etched as the winner of the women's giant slalom at the World Ski Championships in Saalbach on Thursday after Mikaela Shiffrin's decision to not defend her title.

Saudi Arabia made their debut at the Asian Winter Games in China this week and will controversially host the next edition in a move derided as "awful" by one Olympic skier and denounced by environmental groups.

Two American astronauts who have been trapped on the International Space Station since June could return to Earth earlier in March than expected, NASA said Tuesday.

In a packed cafe in Cairo, all eyes were glued to a flickering flat-screen TV, waiting for Omar Marmoush, now donning Manchester City's sky-blue jersey, to step onto the pitch.

Bangladesh's former government was behind systematic attacks and killings of protesters as it tried to hold onto power last year, the UN said Wednesday, warning the abuses could amount to "crimes against humanity".

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks Wednesday, signing a series of agreements to boost trade and defence ties between the Muslim-majority nations, including a joint venture to build drones.

Shares in Dutch brewer Heineken fizzed at the market open on Wednesday, as traders cheered better-than-expected beer sales despite a slight dip in overall turnover.

Asian equities rose while London and Frankfurt hit fresh highs Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that the US central bank was in no hurry to cut interest rates.

The latest in the Captain America film franchise which premiered in Hollywood Tuesday presents a vision of the United States out of step with the Trump era, with a diverse cast, a core message about unity and an endorsement of international diplomacy.

Most equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that the US central bank "did not need to be in a hurry" to cut interest rates again.

Karl-Anthony Towns scored 40 points as the New York Knicks blew past the Indiana Pacers 128-115 in the latest instalment of the two clubs' bitter NBA rivalry on Tuesday.

Expat "mumfluencers" are taking to TikTok to sing the praises of life in Saudi Arabia and to extol the virtues of its new NEOM megacity, filming their idyllic lives spent picnicking by turquoise waters and shopping in gleaming malls.

With its flattering rhetoric, leniency in responding to US trade threats and alignment with Washington this week at a summit on artificial intelligence, the United Kingdom has signalled a willingness to take President Donald Trump's side over Europe.

A dramatic escalation of the conflict in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and swingeing US humanitarian aid cuts are set to dominate an African Union summit this week, overshadowing the election of its new chairman.

Australian spinner Matthew Kuhnemann has been reported for a suspect bowling action after his pivotal role in the Test series win in Sri Lanka, Cricket Australia said Wednesday.

LIV Golf's new chief Scott O'Neil said Wednesday that Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF) was "likely" to do a deal with the PGA Tour which would send the sport "to the moon and back".

A truck cabin swallowed by a sinkhole in Japan has been found in a sewer pipe and may contain the body of its missing driver, a fire department official said Wednesday.

The unfathomable scale of the world's largest religious festival in India overshadows many nations in size -- and for the economy, its impact is just as dramatic.

Twice a day, sirens sound at Cambodia's Chip Mong Insee cement kiln, warning limestone will soon be blasted from the karst mountain that overlooks the sprawling industrial site.

Equities rose in Asia on Wednesday as traders took in their stride a warning from Federal Reserve boss Jerome Powell that the US central bank "did not need to be in a hurry" to cut interest rates again.

New US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth arrives for his first meetings at NATO headquarters Wednesday looking to push European nations over support for Ukraine and ramping up military spending.

US President Donald Trump has threatened to open new fronts in his tariffs war by announcing reciprocal levies on other countries as soon as Tuesday, branding this "the only fair way" to trade.

Animated Chinese blockbuster "Ne Zha 2", based on traditional mythology, has smashed multiple box office records on its way to becoming the country's most successful movie ever.

As peckish deer chase delighted tourists in Japan's temple-dotted Nara Park, a quiet but dedicated team of litter-pickers patrols the stone paths, collecting plastic waste that threatens the animals' health.

Israel threatened Tuesday to resume "intense fighting" in Gaza if hostages were not released this weekend, while Hamas insisted it remained committed to the ceasefire deal and accused Israel of violations.

When President Donald Trump froze nearly all US foreign aid, Cambodia was forced to suspend workers removing dangerous mines from the country -- until China stepped in with the necessary funding.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will try on a US visit to pick up where he left off four years ago in wooing Donald Trump, as he offered quick tariff concessions in hopes of avoiding the second-term president's wrath.

Florentina Loayza was 19 and mother to an infant when she was sterilized by agents of the Peruvian government, against her will.

Super Rugby champions Auckland Blues, strengthened by the return of Beauden Barrett, have high hopes of back-to-back titles as the club competition returns this week, but are wary of Australian sides bolstered by the collapse of the Melbourne Rebels.